faerunianfandomcom-20200215-history
Azurin
"I am human, and so much more." ''--Thiera Donassik, azurin soulborn'' Azurins are incarnum-touched beigns born to human parents. Every so often, the energies of incarnum bond with a pure soul as it becomes instilled in a human form. Perhaps incarnum seeped into the place where the soul emerged, or the soul passed through an incarnum-rich area of the planes on its way to the mortal realm. Whatever the cause, the result is an azurin child, a child who is not entirely human. The incarnum-infused spirit of an azurin ties itself closely to the physical form, but the intensity of the bonded energies causes rapid physical aging and maturation. An azurin's shorter lifespan creates a tendency to undertak risky endeavors and embrace ideals passionately. Azurins do not always create other azurins when they reproduce. Two azurin parents have a much greater chance of conceiving an azurin child, but the child might also be human. As a resut, azurins tend to be solitary, living their lives within human civilizations. Azurins hae never been born to nonhuman parents Azurin Racial Traits Azurins resemble their human parents in most respects, including the familial similarity that any human child would share with his or her parents. The one exception to this is their eyes: The sclera (whites) of azurin eyes have a sky-blue sheen. Azurins are otherwise as varied in appearance as humans. *Medium: As Medium creatures Azurins have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size *Azurin base land speed is 30 feet. *Humanoid (Human): Azurins are of human descent and are affected by spells and the like as if they were purely human. *Hamanoid (Incarnum): Azurins are humanoids with the incarnum subtype. *1 extra feat at 1st level, a human trait that azurins inherit from their parents. *Essentia Pool: An azurin's essential pool is permanently increased by 1. *Automatic Language: Common. Bonus Languages: Any (other than secret languages such as Druidic) *Favored Class: Soulborn Azurian Society Azurins live on the periphery of human society, occasionally joining radical or extremist groups that share their outlook on life. Multiple azurins in the same group might segregate themselves from humans who shun them for their dissimilarities Alignment Azurins are never neutral, instead favoring extreme alignments. Azurins are as likely to be lawful good as they are to be chaotic good, lawful evil, or chaotic evil. More so than most other mortal races, azurins strive to embody their alignment. Lands As part of human culture, azurins live in all types of lands. They can be found among nomadic desert peoples or in the midst of a city's aristocracy. Even if cast out from a society, azurins still thrive on interaction and can usually be found near a human settlement. Settlements Azurins rarely create settlements of their own, but when they do, they find a secluded place near larger human towns or cities. These colonies might house upward of one hundred azurins. Settlements range from ornate monasteries on high mountaintops, to temporary camps in the middle of dark forests, to fortidied cave complexes in the hills overlooking popular trade routes. Power Groups Azurins follow the law and customs of the lands in which they reside, but most are too zealous in their beliefs to seek rulership over those lands. Instead azurins are often involved in groups that follow their alignment extremes, from monastic orders to death cults. Such organizations operate along the fringes of human culture. Beliefs Azurins worship deities that embody their alignments. Numerous azurins choose careers as priests or paladins, using their profession as a platform for espousing their extremist viewpoints. They can also choose more secular philosophies instead of religious dogma, but underlying either belief is the fundamental ceritude of law versus chaos and good versus evil. Relations Azurins get along best with those who similarly embrace their passion for life. Humans, half-orcs, and halflings are the likeliest of friends and companions of an azurin. They typically don't understand the eternal patience of the elves, preferring to act immediately rather than engage in unending debate, and they don't live long enough to forge strong bonds with dwarves. Azurins disdain gnomes for their playful attitude, which they see as a waste of precious time. Because of the common bond of incarnum, azurins accept the other incarnum-wielding races, including dusklings, skarns, and rilkans. Azurin Characters Azurin characters follow the core tenets of extreme alignments. Classes with alignment requirements, such as paladin, monk, or barbarian are common choices. Azurins excel at the soulborn class and other melding classes due to their familiarity with incarnum. Adventuring Azurins Azurins strive to become examples of their alignment, an objective that pushes them out of mainstream society and into groups of like-minded individuals. These groups rally around the cause and might function as adventuring companies as they work to further their philosophies. Azurins who do not associate with an organization or group devoted to a singular cause might position themselves as solitary paragons embodying their chosen virtues. Such azurins might join with a typical adventuring party. As long as the party's goals are in accordance with the tenents of an azurin's alignment, the azurin is a loyal ally and companion. Azurins recognize that it takes strong individuals to achieve change in the world. Indeed,, their rapid againg causes azurins to quickly realize that there is more to life than fishing, farming, or other mundane tasks. Their souls call them to become adventurers; an azurin who does not heed this call would be looked down on by others of his race, for no affront is greater than knowing you have a purpose and neglecting to fulfill it. Character Development An azurin's bonus feat at 1st level allows him to quickly specialize in a set of feats and he can choose from the full range of options. Bonus essentia makes the various incarnum feats even more attractive to an azurin than they are to other characters. Character Names Azurin names are usually the names given to them by their human parents, with a first name derived from a relative or historical personage and a family surname. As human descendants, azurins have names as diverse as the human cultures they are born into. Some even have names drawn from other races. As they progress through life, Azurins become known for more than their deeds and less for their family. Thus, Arun Cooperson might later become known as Arun, the Liberator of Geoff. Roleplaying an Azurin Azurins are closely tied to their alignment, but that doesn't mean they are constrained by it. They find a cause that they can uphold and focus their energies toward furthering it. It could be a short-term goal that relates to the adventure at hand or it could be a long-term effort that forms the basis for a campaign. Personality Azurins are passionate, even a little brazen and foolhardy. They act before thinking through a situation, a byproduct of their inexperience in the world. Even as they age, they remain impatient, since their early successes merely reinforce their behavior. ''Roleplaying Application: ''You do or say what first comes to mind, although you usually have enough restraint to avoid actions that might needlessly endanger your convictions from your comrades; you try to convert opponents to your way of thinking, even while striking them with your sword. You can't abide waiting around since life is much too short to do nothing, especially for you. Behavior Azurins pace nervously if forced to wait; action is always better than inaction. Even while sleeping, azurins toss and turn. Once engaged in activity, azrins are almost single-minded in their purpose, almost to the point of ignoring peripheral activity. Among less tolerant human societies, azurins veil their eyes to appear less conspicuous, even though the goggles or veils they wear might draw even more attention. Azurins consider it a measure of respect to meet another's gaze, which some find troubling when an azurin continues to stare uncomfortably at a speaker while engaged in conversation ''Roleplaying Application: ''You rarely wait for an enemy to come to you, and only seldom do you ready an action that is triggered by another's action. You always try to act during any combat round; even if your weapons aren't effective, you might aid another or otherwise provide a target. Acting is better than not acting, and delaying isn't part of your vocabulary. Language Azurins don't waste words on those who don't want to listen, but anyone who expresses interest in an azurin's beliefs or history had best be prepared for a long soliloquy. When engaged in menial or boring tasks, an azurin might spontaneously extol the virtues and limitations of law, chaos, good, or evil. Azurins speak Common in whatever regional dialect from which they hail. ''Roleplaying Application: ''Be abrupt with those who don't seem to share your views. Provide tidbits of alignment-related expressions throughout your dialogue, both to enlighten comrades and to taunt opponents. Category:Race Category:Humanoid Category:Magic of Incarnum